All Your Troubles
by yourmirroroferised
Summary: Laura has to survive on the planet during the occupation.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a rather far-fetched story that I personally enjoy the premise of. Comments and reviews are always greatly loved. Reviewers will receive cookies.

Disclaim: I do not own Battlestar Galactica or the characters herein.

Laura woke for the thrid time that night. Unlike both of her other jolts from sleep, this one was not precipitated by an urge to use the bathroom. Instead, there was a suppressed commotion a few tents over. Laura was certain it was happening again.

There were times having a tent to herself presented advantages, most memorably when Admiral Adama was able to make regular stops planet side. But with the fleet nowhere in sight, with night abductions happening on an alarming regular basis, Laura began to heartily desire a roommate. Or course, there were guards placed strategically in the surrounding area. Bill had made certain that if Baltar tried to make political eliminations, Laura would have a buffer of capable loyal people. But even they were being picked off one by one. First Kara, then Tigh. Laura wondered who the victim of tonight's raid would be.

The hardest part would be seeing a tearstained faced in her classroom, as some newly parentless child would fearfully hold their tongue all day.

But most disturbing of all was the thought she might be pulled away one night. If it was just about Laura and how they might hurt her she would have had a much bolder face. She would have taken a more active stance in the resistance. But now she could not afford, she could not dare to be captured.

After all, the Cylons were not known for their mercy.


	2. Just beginning

A/N: Next chapter is ready to go! I'm working on the one after this, should have it up after the weekend. Again, reviews get cookies!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Battlestar Galactica, or anything from that universe.

It had taken three months of the insistent queasiness, the nagging bladder, and finally, actually having to excuse herself from class one morning before Maya finally told her to go visit Doc Cottle.

After describing her symptoms, Doc Cottle gave a raised eyebrow.

"Is the… is it back?" She managed. The fear of the cancer coming back had kept her from seeking Cottle's expertise sooner. Cottle only grunted in response and then instructed her through a string of diagnostic tests. After an hour of poking, prodding and scanning, Laura was called into Cottle's office.

"I'm just going to say, Doc, I still insist on using chamala over diloxin." She had on her grim, determinedly set face.

"Young lady," Cottle began in his semi-charming manner. Laura was even less at ease after noting the somewhat smirking, yet pitying look on his face, "Smoking is not recommended in your condition. Hell, at your age, your condition isn't even recommended."

"Is this a joke?" Laura looked incredulously angry, "How the frak could cancer ever be a recommended condition?"

"Laura," Cottle leaned forward to pat the hands gripping the end of his desk. "You don't have cancer." Relief rolled over the former President's features, "You're pregnant." He finished, his eyes carefully studying his current patient, "Laura?"

Initially she had chuckled at his ridiculous, if inappropriate, joke. But Doc did not share in the laughter, and she really began to worry. She shot up from the chair and leaned toward him, "You're not serious, Jack?"

"Completely, Laura," He stared her straight in the eyes.

It was all too much, between the shock of no having cancer, and this new absurd news, Laura dropped to the floor like a stone. Cottle stepped around the desk, calling for a nurse. Together, they returned her to consciousness. Laura would not get up; she simply sat on the floor, completely stunned. After the nurse departed, Laura continued.

"How on earth did this happen, Jack? I thought I was done with all this!"

"It must be the cylon blood. Your cancer was cured, and your reproductive system got a new lease on life as well. We had no way of knowing other side effects." He grimaced apologetically.

"Gods, what a side-effect!" Laura was not leaning forward, her face in her hands.

"Young lady, this is not going to be easy," The doctor helped her up to her chair, and initiated a stern lecture. "Your body was recently ravaged by cancer, and physically, your body is still past the child-bearing age, even if it is biologically able to reproduce. You may think your pregnancy was miraculous or a fluke, but the real miracle is will be bringing you both out alive on the other side of six months. You will have to be very careful and get a lot of rest."

Laura had sat up and was blankly nodding her head. Cottle detected a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "Madam President, your administration made abortions illegal except in cases where it endangers the mother's life. I could very easily classify your case as this type, it's not too late…"

"NO!" Laura shouted. She had reengaged. A sudden stream of thoughts poured out of her. "I will not give up so easily. This baby is mine. Its father may not be there, I may never see him, but every day I hope that he will come back. And I will keep this baby as a living reminder of that hope. He will return for us, Jack. He has to!" She was outright sobbing by this point, one hand wiping away the tears, the other hand protectively over her flat stomach.

Doc Cottle had never felt the need to comfort a patient as strongly as he did now. "Gods, I hope so Laura. Otherwise, we may all be frakked." He had suspected the child was the Admiral's. But a confirmation from the President shocked him. Inwardly, he shuddered. If the cylons ever discovered the existence of this child, Laura's life would be forfeit.

A/N: Again. Reviews are lovely, new chapter very soon!


	3. Promised

A/N: To my wonderful reviewers, first of all, thank you so much for you feedback. I have a few chapters set, it's merely a matter of getting them into digital format.

A quick note: Fanfiction if by nature both technically illegal and derivative (a violation of copyright laws). And I have read a lot of fanfiction, both A/R from BSG and many other genres. There is no such thing as originally when dealing with derivative works that have pulled their roots from the same source over and over again. Saying all of those things, I would also like to say that I never intentionally steal from other fanfiction writers. We have a special pact of illegality; I would not breach that with further trespasses. While this fanfiction is about as far from original as I've ever strayed, and does catch a few cliché lines and plot points, it is in no way directly pulled from a fanfiction, nor is it a direct imitation of a fanfiction. Please keep in mind the nature of this kitschy genre when you consume. As such, _emptor caveat._

Disclaimer: Essentially, the real owners look the other way while I get to play with their toys. I own nothing.

That night had been enchanted. Bill made a surprise visit, to Laura's delight. He had even made arrangements to stay the night. They had hiked up to where Laura planned her cabin. As he leaned against a tree, she ran around describing every nuance of her dream home. Bill smiled at the way she glowed over her plans. She wrapped up her tour by the Admiral's side.

"Just one question, Madam President," he still insisted on using her title playfully. He reached for her hand, "Will you be the sole occupant of this cabin?"

Laura accepted his hand into hers, "That depends, Admiral," She returned the title, coyly, "On a few things…"

"Such as?" The Admiral would not be dissuaded.

"He would have to enjoy books, revel in the peace and solitude of our home together and…" She tossed a smile his way, "He must come with his own uniform. I am a sucker for uniforms."

"Those are very specific qualifications, Madam President," Bill pronounced solemnly, "Do you have any candidate?" He began to walk back down the path, side by side with Laura.

"There are a few," Bill raised an eyebrow, "One in particular." Laura confessed.

"What are his chances of making the grade?" Bill asked earnestly.

Laura stopped and looked over the encampment from the slope on which they had paused. "He lives very far away, and has a great deal of responsibility there." Laura smiled sadly at Bill, "But I keep the position open, because there's simply no candidate anywhere near him."

Bill squeezed her hand and they walked back to the settlement. The night had been so close and war. They had both whispered wonderful things to each other. The couple never suspected what began that night.

The next morning, Bill woke to the soft sound of Laura blowing her nose. Bill looked closer and saw she was crying.

"Laura?" He croaked, still groggy. He scooted over to face her.

"It's nothing, it's silly," She continued to wiper her eyes, "I…nevermind."

"If it was nothing, you would be crying," Bill urged, wrapping an arm around her to pull her back into the cot with him.

"I haven't felt this safe, this comfortable around someone since my family was killed. You know, aside from Adar and a few work colleagues, I didn't lose anyone in the attacks, because there was no one left to lose. I gave up on a family of my own long ago… But even then, I have been alone for such a long time. I don't know if this settlement will last, we'll see if Baltar can get his head on straight. But having you this way, just Bill, and I'm just Laura, I don't want to lose this. I don't want to go backwards from here. We can't go back to being the Admiral and the President. Now that I've had these feelings, I can't walk away from them."

"Laura, I am not going to lie to you. I respect you too much for that. I don't know if this settlement will last, I highly doubt it." He sighed, and looked up at the roof of the tent, "But I also know I care deeply for you. If you want this as much as I do, we will find a way to make it work, no matter what planet we're on or what our titles may be. It's been a very long time since I've felt like this, about anyone, and I will not give it up without a fight. Now, it's too early to wake up! Especially after last night," He grinned down at her, "Let's go back to sleep."

He was on a raptor to Galactica four hours later. She had not seen him since.


	4. Tighed in

A/N: Can I get a second chapter up in the same night? YES I CAN! :D As always, reviews receive much love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica.

"Laura, all we're asking is for you to talk to Zarek. If you can ask him to get his goons on recovering the ships' keys, we might have a fighting chance if the Galactica comes back," Tigh was exasperated beyond belief. How could this stubborn woman refuse to help them?

"When…" She muttered, not looking up from the papers she was grading.

"What?" Tigh growled, he was losing his patience with the school teacher.

"I said, 'When'. You mean _when_ the Galactica comes back. Bill won't let us down," She snapped back at him.

"Fine! When Bill comes in with the cavalry! Will you do it?" He slammed his hands down on her desk to get her attention.

Laura thought carefully for a moment. If Bill did come back, they would need those keys to leave. She was not directly stealing the keys, keeping her out of harm's way. And she wasn't blowing up humans. Overall, it seemed a reasonable request. She looked up at him and pulled off her glasses, "All right, I'll talk to him."

"Good. Let one of us know when you do." Sual sighed with relief. Laura hurried him out of the tent.

But the Cylons were watching. They were always watching.

That night, Laura lay on her cot, wishing the baby would settle down. It had just learned to kick this week. She had let out a surprised yelp in the middle of her classroom the first time it had happened. She had explained it away as a back twinge, but she knew Maya was watching more carefully now. Laura had not told anyone for fear of the Cylons somehow finding out. She knew if the Cylons heard about the baby… Her mind refused to follow that thought.

But the baby was doing its best to make its presence known. The baby was nudging Laura playfully. It never failed, she would close her eyes, and the baby would summersault to make the position uncomfortable. Laura decided to try to soothe her unborn progeny with a story, "Hey, hey, little darling, did you know this planet is not our home?" She whispered tales to the child for an hour, rubbing her just barely domed stomach the whole time. With the baby at peace, Laura fell into a deep sleep.

Not even fifteen minutes later, she awoke to see a black bag shoved over her head. Her instinct was to fight back and struggle. But instantly, she repressed that urge. Any fighting and she risked injuring the baby. Instead, she let herself be led blindly into the night, hidden tearing pouring down her cheeks.

_When,_ She had to keep telling herself, _When, not if, Bill will come. _


	5. Every Page Spelled Liberty

A/N: Very sadly very busy. Reviews are great motivation for speeding up the writing process!

Disclaimer: I do not own BSG.

Doc Cottle rarely left the medical center. He wasn't thrilled by the planet either. But the fact that most of his patients moved down to the planet helped him in his decision to relocate. But today's occurrence was a rare sight indeed. The good doctor marched down the makeshift streets o the settlement until he ducked into one tent in particular.

To say the occupants of that tent were surprised was an understatement. He was instantly surrounded by makeshift weapons pointing at him.

"Calm down!" He growled. The blades fell, "Has anyone seen Laura Roslin?" He inspected the group's response.

Tigh spoke up. "I talked to her about a week ago…"

"No, I mean today!" Cottle barked, "She had an appointment with me that she missed and I saw that all the kids in the camp seemed to be running free recently."

"Why did Laura have an appointment with you?" Galen had a wary look on his face.

"You know I can't disclose that! The important thing is she is in such a medical condition that being imprisoned, or, god's forbid, tortured by the Cylons would be certain death for her. And let's be honest, we all saw the way Bill Adama feels about her. Which one of you would want to break the news to him that she's dead because we couldn't pull together a rescue plan?"

"It's not that we can't form a plan. We don't have the resources right now!" Sam protested, bristling slightly.

"We got a transmission from the Galactica today. We have a rendezvous set for tomorrow." Galen smiled, "We'll be out of here within a week! She should be fine for that time, right?"

"They took my eye on the second day," Saul growled. A grim silence fell over the room.

"We have to focus on getting the ship keys," Galen reiterated, "It's our top priority!" 

"If you make it up to that Battlestar and Laura Roslin is not alive to join you, we'll all wish you found a way to save her." Bottle spat, "I personally don't want to picture Bill Adama without that woman." But he walked away leaving pensive silence in the room.

At that very moment, Laura Roslin was in fact being thrown onto the street, free once again.

She had spent an endless stretch of time strapped in a terrible pain-inflicting chair. Strapped down at her wrists and ankles she had endured unearthly pain for she knew not how long. All she remembered was one blur of reality after another. First Baltar and then varying Cylons demanded the location of the half human-half cylon child. There had also been beatings. Bruises covered her face, arms, ribs, and legs. She was constantly in fear for the life of her child. Each spasm of pain could trigger labor and she and baby were dead for certain. But after pleading and screaming until she was hoarse that the half-Cylon was dead they decided to believe her and let her go. Her first instinct had been to run to Doc Cottle. But there was also the sneaking fear that her child was truly dead. It had not moved or kicked for the duration of her captivity. Part of her wanted to avoid the doctor altogether until he was certain one way or the other. This side won, and she limped back to her tent alone.

At school the next morning, she was pulled away again by the New Caprica Police. This time, Laura knew she was not going to be coming back alive.

A/N: Wasn't kidding about the reviews ;)


	6. Too Late, my brothers

A/N: Another Update. I will have so much more free time to finish this one up soon! Please keep the feedback coming. I'm trying to pull together inspiration for another story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica.

The back of the truck was almost too dark to see. But Laura heard a mirthless chuckle coming from the man sitting next to her. She couldn't help but laugh at the irony of her current situation as well. She was finally meeting Tom Zarek, the one source of information they needed most. They exchanged friendly banter. Laura dared, "Tom, where are they taking us?"

"I have no idea. But I get the feeling they're not exactly taking us to a luxurious hotel."

Laura sat back and spent the rest of their ride in relative silence. She was desperately trying to pick up on movements from her womb. She refused to surrender to the suffocating fog of doubt that was creeping from the back of her mind. She began to recall hallucinations she had experienced when she was undergoing torture from the pain-inflicting chair. She would drift from reality to dreams, barely knowing the difference. There was a young woman, long, slightly-wave black hair, and Laura's own eyes staring back at her. She always sat on a metal chair in blackness, but for one soft pool of light. A string waltz played background, and the girl repeated, over and over again, "Mom, mom, please don't leave me. Please mom, stay with us. You don't have to leave yet. But whenever Laura tried to run to her, the girl was blocked by a containment field of some kind. And she never seemed to see Laura. It made her skin crawl to remember.

But she was jerked out of her remembrance as the truck lurched to a stop.

They were pulled out, allowed to stretch their legs. She and Tom bantered and then they saw the bullet heads coming over the hill. They flipped out their armed machine-gun hands. Shots rang out. Tom pushed Laura to the ground. He was just in time. A stray bullet caught Laura in the left shoulder.

She heard Tom scream for help vaguely wondered why they had stopped firing if he was still alive. But soon sticky warmth pooled under her and she began to feel very tired. And there was a burning pain. She closed her eyes.

Bill was punching the punching bag far harder than he usually did. It looked as though the hits he was throwing were meant to kill.

Anastasia Dualla-Adama walked into the training room and almost walked back out. When the Admiral was this angry is seemed best to leave him alone. But just as she was turning to leave she froze. Adama's face was covered in sweat but some of the water was from tears as well. And she could hear gasps that only come from those trying very hard not to cry. She gingerly stepped into the old man's line of sight.

"Admiral, is everything all right?" She asked gently but loudly enough to be heard over the violent blows.

He finally glanced at her, "Dee, is something wrong?" He looked away again. His tone was gruff. Clearly, he wanted her to leave. But she persisted.

"I was going to as you the same question, sir." She smiled sadly at the tears running off his cheeks. He turned to towel off his seat, but he stayed too long and Dee caught his shoulders shaking. She stepped closer. "Sir?" She questioned, hoping he would open up.

"I can't believe I betrayed them like this." He rasped, his shoulders slumping forward. He started walked around the punching bag, "Saul, Starbuck, Tyrol, Laura…" He stopped because a sob cut off his ability to speak. "What if we go back and no one is left?"

"Sir, we've established contact, we know somebody's alive down there."

"But what if she…"He stopped himself to throw another volley of hist.

"Admiral, the former President is a tough woman," Dee reminded maternally, "She defeated a deadly cancer, contained an unruly fleet, she even lost an election with grace and dignity. She will make it. "

Bill considered this as he danced about the bag landing intermittent blows. Quietly, he murmured, "Will she forgive me?"

"What?" Dee leaned closer to catch his breathless growl.

"How can she ever forgive me for abandoning her?" He clearly punctured his words with forceful hits. His voice was angrier than she had heard yet, "We were supposed to have a life down there. She deserved that at least. A nice quiet life, just the two of us."

"Sir, I've seen the way she looks at you. Billy used to mention it as well. She loves you, sir. More than she will ever admit. Please don't forget that, Admiral." 

"Thank you, Dee." Bill cast sideways. He left unceremoniously.

"Anytime, sir," Dee replied to the slamming door.

A/N: Reviews would be lovely.


	7. Too Late, But Nevermind

A/N: Would love feedback to improve future/upcoming works!

Disclaimer: I don't own Battlestar Galactica.

The medical center was never full really. His work was occasionally injuries from the cylons, a few coughs or pneumonia. This climate was much colder than their previous one. So Cottle's job today was a fairly easy one: slowly clear the infirmary of all who could walk or run to the ships by themselves, and whittle down to those who absolutely had to be carried. There were now six left in the infirmary- a little girl with a very high fever, three members of the New Caprica Police who were badly injured in the suicide bombing, a teenage boy with a broken leg, and Laura Roslin.

Laura had been rushed in the evening before. She had had a bullet buried deep in her shoulder. Laura was an incredibly lucky woman because not only had the bullet just missed a major artery, they had gotten her in just in time for Cottle to save her. It had been a long ride back to town from the site of the botched execution. She had lost significant amounts of blood. By the time she was under Cottle's knife he didn't know if she could recover.

Even at this point, after removing the bullet and cleaning the wound, he could not be sure not only did they have to watch for infection, but she had yet to wake up at all. He wished he would have better news for the Admiral when they boarded Galactica on the morrow.

_The next day_

The Admiral was satisfied. They had saved everyone they could. The survivors were safely aborad and away from the cylon threat. All of his pressing duties were attended to. This only left personal matters. Starbuck, Saul, Tyrol, they had all checked in with him. This only left Laura. She was either avoiding him or physically unable to come find him. He decided to rule out the more dire possibility first. He marched determinedly down to sick bay. He knew Laura could not be dead. Someone- Tigh, Tyrol- would have told him. He made it sickbay where Cottle and his team were frantically patching those wounded in the escape. Cottle took one look at the bewildered Adama and pity tined his face. He indicated a curtain shielded area at the back of the chaos. A cold knot hit his stomach. Were they too late? Had he just barely missed saving her? Bill flung back the curtain and a mix of relief and shock washed over him. Laura reclined, dangerously pale, but still breathing, on the Life Station bed. The next thing Bill noticed was her rotund stomach. Either she had gained a lot of weight, whatever she was suffering from caused her stomach to bloat, or she was… Bill laughed away the possibility.

Doc Cottle bustled over to catch him during a brief respite in intake, "She was shot in the shoulder. Barely missed her heart. Cylons rounded her and several dozen others for execution. She also went through a beating or two when they had her in prison. She's very lucky to be alive right now."

"Cottle, what's wrong with her stomach… is she?" Bill felt foolish even uttering the absurd thought.

"Ask Laura when she wakes up." Cottle chuckled to himself as he walked back to his duties.

Bill wanted to climb up on the bed and wrap her in his arms. But not only would that startle her, he wanted to avoid reinjuring her shoulder. So he resigned himself to wait by the bed, holding her hand. He didn't have to wait long. Half an hour after he sat down, when the Life Station was finally settled down to a steady bustle, Laura groaned and began to stir. Instantly, the Admiral had Cottle at her side.

"She doesn't appear to have a fever. Let me just check her shoulder dressing," He opened her gown to check the wound. Adama looked away, turning scarlet in fury at himself, shame at his cowardice, and a gentleman's modesty. At that movement, Laura fully regained consciousness.

"Jack?" He throat crackled, unused for quite some time, "Is this a dream? Are we… Did we…?" She continued to stare in wonder around her.

"You tell me if this feels like a dream," He laid her back down, gently, and felt around her shoulder, "Can you feel this?"

"Yes," She flinched.

"But it doesn't feel hot or burning, right?" He persisted.

"No," She bit her lip, shaking her head.

"All right," Cottle walked away, muttering, "One gods damn lucky young lady."

"Wait!" Laura croaked after him. He turned, and seeing the fear in her eyes, he knew what she was asking.

He smiled reassuringly and nodded, "I'll get a sonogram over here."

"What does he… Laura you are…" He stepped back to take her, no, _them_ in anew. "This is our child?" He whispered, awestruck. He tripped forward again, and his hands nervously, clumsily hovered over the precious bump. Laura, face filled with tears of utter job, grabbed his hands and placed them against her belly. As if the baby could sense its father, it kicked. Laura gasped. Bill jerked away, afraid he had hurt his darling Laura. But instantly, Laura began to laugh out of relief and elation; Bill joined her.

Doc Cottle was back. Things were set up in no time. Billl Adama was soon fighting through the tears as he caught his first glimpse of their new child. He and Laura were both crying unabashedly.

"Keep that up, and you'll have the bed soaked in no time. And we can't spare the dry sheets at the moment," He finished packing up and left, closing the curtain, "Stay away from her shoulder, Bill."

But Bill was all ready on the other side of Laura's bed, holding the less injured side of his lover's body.

"I knew you would be back," Laura sighed, "I know you wouldn't abandon us!"

Bill was crying once again. He sat up and faced away from her, Laura grabbed his shoulder with her good arm. "Bill, what's wrong?"

"I failed you. I abandoned you!" He spat in anger. Laura recoiled slightly at his tone, "I should have come back right away. You wouldn't have been beaten," His eyes caught sight of an ugly purple mar on her otherwise ivory skin, "You could have died, many did! And I just sat on my fat ass in the safety of my Battlestar. I'm a frakking coward, Laura. You deserve so much better."

"But I only want you!" Laura pleaded, tugging him back to her arms, "You came back for us! That's what matters. That's brave enough for me, Bill Adama." He finally acquiesced and wrapped his arms around her in return, "Bill?" She whispered as they settled in to sleep.

"Hmm?" He grunted, almost drifting off.

"I could not have survived without you." She sighed, "Cabin or no, I need you in my life just to make it worth living."

"I couldn't have kept on without you either, darling," He murmured into her ear.

Cottle found them wrapped in each other's arms a few hours later, sound asleep, with bliss glowing from their features.


	8. Hush Little Baby, Don't You Cry

A/N: Next chapter up! I have more time on my hands now, so I hope to get this wrapped up within the week! Let me know what you think, as future stories are in the works. I always appreciate feedback on my writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica.

The next two months passed quickly. Laura insisted on staying in Colonial One and only going to visit bill every other night. "The people need to see their president back in office. We must maintain a structured government separate from the military. I cannot have my permanent office on the Galactica."

"But when are you going to tell the press about the baby, about us?" Adama demanded, "If we hide, it will only make the matter worse. After Baltar, they will hardly demand your resignation for this." This was not the first time they had danced around the issue.

"How can you know that for certain?" She would plead, "If anything I will be asked to resign. You'll be fine where you are. I've seen every possible political scandal unfold while working with Adar's administration." Laura retorted.

"And what are you going to do when the child is born?" He growled, angered by her shame. "Claim immaculate conception? Do the scrolls of Pythia mention that? Or would you not even keep the baby? Will I be solely responsible for raising our child? That's an even better cover-up. One day you're pregnant, the next, I have a baby in my quarters, but they are not at all related."

"Fine!" She screeched. She stormed out of her quarters, "Tory, call me a press conference first thing tomorrow."

In a few hours, Laura had calmed down enough to make precautionary plans. She would move to Galactica in two weeks, until the baby was born. Then she and Bill would move in together to help care for the baby. Tory would have quarters on the Galactica as well for the time being. They would stay on Galactica until the baby could sleep through the night. Then Laura would spend alternating weeks between Colonial One and Galactica. The Vice President would also assume the presidency for a month after the baby was born, and would hold more responsibilities after Laura's return. And if the baby came before Laura moved to the Galactica, they established an operation to be enacted with code-word "Miracle" ("Because you are going to need one when you go into labor" Cottle had darkly joked). They would provide an emergency shuttle with Marine Guards to Galactica.

And then Bill did something that none of their arguments or discussions had covered. He got down on one knee, pulled his wedding ring off his finger and offered it to her. Laura was completely flabbergasted. "Laura, we've both realized we can't live without the other. Why don't we make it official?" His voice cracked during his short speech.

"Bill… oh my gods…I…" She reached for a seat back to steady herself, "Are you sure you want this?" She gulped. This was not the first time a man had proposed to her, but it had never ended well before.

"More certain than I have ever been about anything." He nodded.

"Then yes, I will!" She extended her hand, and Bill slipped the large ring onto her delicate finger. She helped him up. Laura had never been so happy.

The ceremony was set for next week. A simple, quiet affair, only a dozen people were invited and members of the press were banned. Bill stayed for the press conference the next morning. It went exceptionally, they had spent most of the night writing the announcement. They made a joke about building the population and the press ate up their romance. Questions were raised, but Bill and Laura fielded them with expert skill.

Next week, even their wedding went smoothly. Laura felt a few twinges in her back, but Cottle examined her later that day and chalked it up to nervousness. Laura and Bill had agreed to forgo their honeymoon and instead spend more time together after the baby was born. The next day, they plunged back into the feverish schedules. By this point, Laura tired very easily as he body put up more vehement protests to the anachronistic burden it was forced to carry.

The day before Laura was scheduled to move to Galactica, she woke with incredible back pain. As she sat up, she felt her first real contraction. Laura had been so worried about completely missing the early warning signs of labor and being forced to give birth in the wrong place. She now realized those fears were utterly unfounded. This pain made her yell out loudly. Tory, who had just set foot in the office, rushed to Laura's personal quarters. "Madam President?" She asked, all ready knowing the answer.

"Miracle!" Laura gasped, trying to recover from the pain. She stood up shakily to pack. Why hadn't she done this sooner? Half-way through her packing, she screamed and fell to her knees. "only twenty minutes apart. " Laura didn't know much about birthing children, but she was certain the youngest Adama was on its way in a hurry.

A/N: Please Review!


	9. You Know Your Mama Was Born To Die

A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica

Raptor One was five minutes from Galactica. The President sat between Tory and one of her two Marine guards. Her child on the way, Laura was doing her level best to not rock the cabin with ear-splitting screams. The pains were so sudden and intense, they winded her with each recurrence. Everyone in the ship was tensely silent. They had a very serious duty, and it held their entire focus. Their chatter with Galactica Actual was very terse.

And in the midst of this staunch focus, the D.R.A.D.I.S. erupted.

A basestar had jumped alarmingly close to the fleet, spewing a gleaming hoard of raiders out before the fleet. Laura was thrown into Tory's lap as the raptor accelerated suddenly. Suddenly, the comm in the cockpit became frantic. Laura was still processing this new, disturbing arrival when she realized that the instructions streaming from the front were now being aimed at her.

"Do you understand, Madam President?" Racetrack yelled back. Catching Laura's blank look, she repeated, "We can't go around to the main landing bay, because we risk getting attacked. We're going to set you down in a smaller hangar on this end of the ship. The medical team is on their way there, they should reach it in a few minutes." Laura nodded in a daze.

_After all I've been through_ she kept thinking to herself, _I'm going to die and lose my child just out of reach of Bill's arms. _However, by that point, she was being pulled from the raptor. They stood in the empty hangar bay, the Marines pacing nervously as they waited for the medical crew. Laura had attempted to stand, but instead resigned herself to sitting.

/***/

In the CIC, Bill was panicking. The cylon attack could not have had worse timing. He had half a mind to relinquish control of the ship to Tigh and run to be with Laura. But the next blip that came upon the D.R.A.D.I.S. froze his heart and made up his mind for him.

A heavy raider, a boarding party, was cruising toward the Galactica. The vipers' attempts to divert the ship were only marginally successful. They redirected the raider from hitting the landing bay to the end of the ship. But Bill paled when she realized: Laura was in that very part of the ship. Shouting at Dee to radio the President's Hangar Bay, he dashed out of the CIC. Six marines formed on him, as they charged to deal with the Cylon incursion. The ship wrenched on impact with the raider, and emergency lights flickered on in the suddenly darkened corridors. The determined group pressed toward the threat.

/***/

As soon as the phone rang, Laura knew it could not be good news, not with a battle raging outside. But then as the ship rocked beneath them, she was truly gripped with fear. The marines rushed to seal the hatch and guard the entrance. Laura and Tory were ordered to take shelter in a secluded corner of the small bay.

Laura was still having contractions every fifteen minutes. Her water had not broken yet, but she was in worlds of pain. Tory stayed by her side, holding her hand. She droned out a string of soothing words, but it did Laura little good. Tory had never been very personable to Laura, and that was what she needed. More than anything, Laura wanted small talk to divert her from the pain.

"Tory," She gasped at the end of her latest contraction.

"It's going to be okay, Madam President," the aid murmured, patting her hand.

"I know!" She almost yelled, "I don't want comfort, I need a distraction! Tell me about you! Tell me about your life before all of this." She settled against a storage crate.

"What do you want to know?" Tory returned, clearly floundering. Just then, gunshots began outside the bay doors. Laura's face blanched. Tory desperately searched for a safer hiding place. Suddenly, a Marine sprinted across the deck. "Madam President!" He yelled, "The Admiral is here to bring you to safety, follow me!" He turned, the other marines bringing up the rear behind Laura and Tory. They ran through a side exit, Bill and his five other marines were there. Instantly, the three marines escorting Laura provided cover as Bill, Laura and Tory prepared to flee. A few feet away, Laura could tell something was wrong. She fell to her knees again, breathless in her agony. As she stood, another pain threatened to bring her down.

"Bill! I can't do this!" She sobbed "I can't go! Something's wrong!" She had both hands clutching her stomach.

"Fine." Bill's mind was spinning a strategy at that moment. "Tory, help me get Laura in this storage room. Then run and radio the CIC to send the emergency medical team down here." He called over a marine. "Do your best to defend this room." The plan crashed chaotically into place. And soon, Bill found himself alone with a screaming Laura Roslin.

"Bill, I think I'm bleeding," She whimpered. There was only a red emergency light illuminating the closet but Laura's hand was covered in a dark gleaming substance. "And my water just broke." The pool on the floor confirmed this. Laura was starting to hyperventilate.

Up until that moment, Bill himself had been on the verge of panic. But seeing Laura so fragile, so very much in need of support, he instantly snapped back to strategizing mode. "The fight outside seems to be going well." He observed. This was true: the rate of bullet exchange and the metallic stomp of the cylons were both dying. Tory should arrive with a medical team within half an hour. This was the only problem they faced. At the rate she was bleeding and the blood on the floor, Laura was likely to only make it fifteen minutes at most. All that remained as for Bill to keep her calm in the mean time and hope that the medical team arrived son. All of these thoughts processed through his mind before Laura truly had time to panic. All ready, he was at her side, reassuring her. He had been present for both of his sons' deliveries, but that was decades ago. He rubbed her back and the gesture seemed to help. She had a vice grip on his other arm, and he let her hold as hard as she needed. For a moment, there was nothing but Laura's gasping and crying as the fighting outside had ceased.

"Bill," His love gasped, "I …I…can't…" She seemed to be almost too exhausted to speak. Bill helped her sit up enough to breathe, "I don't… I can't go on." She gave him a desperately terrified and sorrow-filled look. "It's too hard…" Her eyes started to flutter, "Can't keep… my eyes…" There was a knock at the hatch. Bill jumped up to open the door.

The medical team was standing right outside. Two nurses lifted Laura onto a crash cart, a third checked her vitals, and a fourth offered this explanation. "The marines just pushed the cylons back toward their ship. We were waiting in the hallway, but we couldn't get any closer until just now." She turned to the nurse checking on the President.

"She's gone into shock from blood loss. The baby's heart rate is through the roof." He reported.

"We have to get her to the life center and deliver this baby, STAT" the nurse barked, "Admiral, follow us, please."

A/N: More to come soon! Please, please review!


	10. All Yourf Trials, Soon Will Be Over

A/N: Last Chapter! It might be a few weeks before I get working on the next story. But never fear, it is in the works!

Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica.

Bill paced outside the clear curtained surgical ara in the corner of the life center. It had been two hours since the medical team had rescued them from the storage closet. Bill felt just as uncertain of Laura's survival as he did now. He knew they were pumping blood into her system after she had lost consciousness from blood-loss during the delivery. The nurse had also told him the baby appeared healthy enough to make it through the delivery with few problems. But after an hour in surgery, Bill was beginning to worry. Eventually a nurse was sent out to talk to him.

"Admiral," It was Ishtay.

"What can you tell me?" His voice cracked with the stress.

"Your child should be delivered any minute now. As for the President, there was a fair amount of internal damage. Her body was simply too old to handle this process."

Bill jumped on her words immediately, "Was? What do you mean...was?" He growled.

"The only thing we know for certain is the President will never be able to have a child after this. Until we have finished surgery and given her a day or so to recover, we cannot accurately judge how well her body will recover. She lost a lot of blood, but we've been working hard to replenish it. We simply have to wait and see." The nurse studied the bewildered look on the Admiral's face. "I'm sorry that's all I know for now." She added comfortingly. The Admiral had come to the life center on a few dire calls before this one. He had never though, to her memory, looked quite so upset as he did now.

By this point, the dogfights were over, the fleet had jumped, and the Galactica jumped to emergency coordinates until they had excised the Cylon threat. The Admiral had last heard they had destroyed the Centurious but the ship and the damage caused by it were still a minor threat. However, Starbuck and Apollo were both in the life center, getting patched up after a few rounds with the bullet-heads. They both rushed over at the sight of a baby. As promised, she returned less than an hour later with a white-blanketed, squalling bundle. His hopeful look was rebutted by the nurse, "No word on her mother yet. But this little lady is perfect."

The Admiral held his daughter, staring in to her wide-open eyes. Unlike most babies' blue eyes, the little girl's stare was a piercing green, identical to her mother's. Kara and Lee each took a turn with the child as Bill pressed the issue. "When will you know something for certain?" He pleaded.

"Tomorrow morning, at the earliest," Jack Cottle threw back at him as he had just finished washing up, "Give her poor body time to recover. I stand by what I've said before, that woman needed a miracle to survive delivery. That blood transfusion was just in time. She still may not make it, only time will tell. I know what you're going to ask, Admiral. And yes, you can bring a cot in to stay the night."

Bill. Who had nearly asked that exact question snapped his mouth closed and nodded his thanks. Lee radioed a cot in for the night. Kara still cradled the awe-struck baby. Despite the tension in the room, she was grinning broadly. Bill stepped over to look at her.

"What are you going to name her?" Kara began, but the she saw the tears trickling down the Old Man's face. "Frak, I'm sorry, Old Man." her face immediately lost its grin. "You know she'll make it, sir. She beat off cancer, she can beat this too."

At that moment, Dee burst into the life center. Without even caring about protocol, she hugged the Admiral, "It's going to be all right." She whispered, looking him in the eyes as she pulled away. The next minute, the baby as her captive.

"Watch out, Lee," whispered the newly baby-less Starbuck, "She'll want one of her own soon."

Bill sat down next to Laura and grasped her hand. She had a much less pale complexion now. Bill felt more assured than he had four hours ago. But the doubts still pressed his mind ruthlessly. He began to talk to Laura mindlessly, saying anything that came to his mind. "Laura, you have to wake up, you have to see. We have our own little family now! Our newest daughter, she's so small. She has your eyes, and your red hair. I wouldn't doubt it if she becomes a future heartbreaker. She's going to be so beautiful, like you. You have to be here, Laura, you have to be with me, I could never raise her without you. I failed as a father to my boys, I could never be trusted with an infant girl. If you stay and help me, I'll do anything. All the midnight diaper changes, I'll take care of her every time she's sick… Anything! Just please don't leave me!" Tears twisted his voice.

"Every midnight diaper change?" Bill jumped at the raspy whisper from the bed. "How could I… refuse that?" Laura's eyes fluttered and finally peeped half-open sleepily. Cottle came over with a nurse, and after a few minutes, declared her stable.

"That was one hell of a stunt you pulled on us, young lady," He chided, "Having a baby at your age… just promise you won't try it again."

Laura grinned weakly, "I want to see my baby, please, gentlemen," She whispered, her vocal chords destroyed from screaming. Dee brought the baby over, and Kara and Lee crowded around the bed.

/***/

Three hours later, the life center was utterly peaceful. Cottle had banished all visitors and most of the staff were off duty. It was just Bill, Laura, and their daughter, the newly christened Madeline. Bill was nodding off as he assumed Laura was all ready asleep. The baby was in the most angelic of rests. Just as he was ready to doze off, Laura whispered, "Bill?"

He grinned up at her, so incredibly in love. "Yes?"

"Do you remember that night when I took you up to the cabin?" She laughed tiredly.

"I'll never forget it." He reached for her hand.

"I have it now," She croaked, "Everything I wanted from that night." 

"I don't think we'll see peace and solitude any time soon," he chuckled, grinning at the newest Adama.

"But what I really wanted," She smiled tearfully, "What I've wanted for…" She sniffed, "Years, is a family again. I may not have an isolated retreat. But I have people who care about me, and about whom I care deeply, because of you." She took a shaky breath and reached a hand up to wipe away tears.

But Bill was all ready there, "Laura, I love you. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together watching our family grow."

A/N: A final review would be a lovely wrap gift!


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